Holy Light
The Holy Light is not a religion. It is a philosophy, a way of living that provides spiritual strength and guidance to those who follow it. For those who understand and understand the Holy Light, faith is a matter of practice rather than worship. The fundamental concept of the Holy light is that feeling – in both the emotional and physical senses – is evidence of the connection between the self and the universe. If you feel emotion, you know you exist, that there is some force between the self and the universe, that there is some force within you from which those emotions spring. At the same time, you know that the world around you exists. It acts upon you and changes the way that you feel. By acting on your feelings, you can, in turn, change the world. To deny the importance of either the self or the world cuts you off from half of existence. The Holy Light teaches that once you acknowledge the connection between yourself and the rest of the world, you must acknowledge that your health and happiness are also connected to the world. If you wish to be happy, you must try to make the rest of the world happy; if you open yourself up to the beauties of the world, you can unlock your own inner beauty. Yet if you give yourself over to despair, then you diminish the rest of existence. The Holy Light is the energy of the soul lighting up the world around it. The Three virtues Those who practice the Light focus their efforts on developing three virtues: respect, tenacity and compassion. Each virtue is further divided into a principle and a lesson. Every creature that has feelings shares the same kind of connection between self and the world that you do. If you destroy another being’s happiness, you diminish the happiness of the world – and, ultimately, your own as well. The practitioners of the Holy Light understand that conflict and suffering are inevitable, but seek to minimize the unhappiness of others. While the self and the world are of equal importance to any self that considers them, the philosophy of Holy Light also acknowledges that the world is bigger than the self. The events of the world can sweep up a self and change it in a day, but years are needed for one self to change the world through its actions. Even if years are needed, however, that one self inevitably changes the world. The connection between self and the world means that you cannot help but have an effect upon the world, even if that effect is small. You can also inspire the efforts of other selves, each with their own small effects that adds together with others until significant changes happen. Because the world connects to the self and because the self changes, that the world will change to fit the self is inevitable. The first two concepts lead to a third: compassion. You have only one connection to the world, which limits the effects your happiness can have upon it. By helping another, you make both yourself and that person happy. The effect upon the world is doubled. At the same time, you become stronger, more able to help others. Your ability to affect the world grows. Compassion must be practiced carefully. Overeager helpers give aid where it is not needed, presenting the recipients from persevering and developing their own strength. Clumsy helpers provide the wrong help, doing more harm than good and increasing the suffering in the world. Wise and compassionate Characters identify the rue needs of others, then supply the support those individuals need to overcome their problems themselves. Principles and Lessons of the three Virtues The principle of respect Each thing has its own connection to the world. The lesson of respect Do not harm what you would value if it were yours. The principle of tenacity The world is too large to be remade in a day. The lesson of tenacity Perseverance creates strength. The principle of compassion You accomplish more brightening the lives of others than your own. The lesson of compassion Give aid freely, but do not diminish the one who receives it.